Statutory bodies

Jan Drahota has been at the helm of Colt CZ Group as CEO and Chairman since July 2021, having joined the Group in 2014. His career also features investment banking roles at Société Generale and non-executive director positions at ČEPS (Czech Transmission Grid) and the Czech Export Bank. A University of Chicago – Booth School of Business alum, Jan is proficient in Czech, English and French.

Mr. Adam is a graduate of the Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague and the joint LL.M. programme of Nottingham Trent University and the Faculty of Law of Masaryk University in Brno. Before joining Colt CZ, Mr. Adam worked for two years as an attorney and partner at HAVEL & PARTNERS, law firm. He also has broad executive director experience. He worked for eleven years in various managerial positions at Airport Prague, Czech Aeroholding and Czech Airlines, including nine years as a member of the Board of Directors, where, in addition to the legal department, he also managed the finance, HR and IT departments. In Colt CZ, Mr. Adam is responsible for legal affairs, compliance and risk management.

Jan Holeček studied economy and finance at Bentley University, USA. In 2016 he started his career in Siemens as market analyst, later on as business development specialist. From 2017 to 2021, he worked at Česká zbrojovka, a. s., first in the position of analyst, then as marketing director and member of the board of Česká zbrojovka responsible for sales. Since July 2021, he has been a member of the Colt CZ Group Board of Directors responsible for business.

Dennis Veilleux is the Chief Executive Officer of Colt Holding Company LLC. With 35 years of experience in the industry, Mr. Veilleux has deep expertise in firearms manufacturing, design and business. Since joining Colt in 2006 and prior to being appointed CEO in 2013, Mr. Veilleux served in several key positions for Colt, including Executive Director of Engineering, Vice President of Manufacturing, and Chief Operating Officer. Before Colt he spent three years with GE Armament Systems where he participated in the manufacture and development of military weapon systems, he worked eight years at Sturm Ruger and eight years at U. S. Repeating Arms Company (FN Group).

Jan Zajíc graduated in Economics and Management at the Faculty of Business and Economics of Mendel University in Brno. Prior to joining Česká zbrojovka, he worked in various managerial positions in industrial companies in the Czech Republic and abroad. He started his career in Fatra, plastic producer based in Napajedla, then in the Continental Barum plants in Otrokovice and Púchov, Slovakia. In the Continental Group, he held various positions in the financial management and controlling at the production plant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and subsequently at the company’s headquarters in Hannover, Germany. Jan Zajíc, a native of Uherské Hradiště, was working at Česká zbrojovka since 2019 as its CFO. Since November 2020, he has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Česká zbrojovka.

Gen. Casey has been member of the Board of Directors of CZ-US Holdings, a Colt CZ subsidiary, since 2021. Gen. Casey is a published author, and currently serves as a Distinguished Senior Lecturer of Leadership at the SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University, and as the Rice Family Professor of Practice at the Korbel School, University of Denver. He lectures on leadership internationally at business schools and to numerous organizations. Before joining Colt CZ, Gen. Casey served 41-years in the U.S. Army, including as the 36th Army Chief of Staff from 2007 to 2011. From 2004 to 2007 he commanded the Multi-National Force – Iraq.Gen. Casey also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the United Service Organizations, the premier support organization for U.S. servicemen and women, as a director of Leonardo DRS, a leading defense technology innovator, and the Center for Global Development, a research institute focused on promoting economic growth and development around the world. In addition, he serves as a member of several advisory boards for companies engaged in robotics, resilience and supporting veterans. Gen. Casey graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and holds a master’s degree in international relations from Denver University. He brings to the board a deep knowledge of the military and a demonstrated history of leadership in the armed forces, academia, the non-profit sector and industry.

Mr. Jean-Louis Vanderstraeten has been member of the Board of Directors of CZ-US Holdings, a Colt CZ subsidiary, since March 2022. He has over 40 years of experience in Defense Contracting, Business Planning, Operations Management and Corporate Finance. Prior to joining Colt CZ, he was Advisor to the Chairman of Fabrique Nationale Herstal (FN) and the Browning Group. Prior to that, he served as the President & CEO of FN Manufacturing, LLC in Columbia, SC from 1998 to 2014, and as Vice President and CFO of both FN Manufacturing and U.S. Repeating Arms Company (USRAC), an affiliate company to the Browning, Inc organization, which traded as Winchester Rifles and Shotguns in New Haven, Connecticut. FN Manufacturing, LLC is a subsidiary of FN Herstal located in Liege, Belgium, which is one of the largest small arms producers for the U.S. Military and Law Enforcement. In 1996, he moved to Hong Kong for an 18-month assignment as CFO of the Asia Pacific Division of SAIT-Radio Holland, SA, a company servicing and trading in navigation and communication systems. Mr. Vanderstraeten holds a Financial Degree from the Chambre Belge des Experts Comptables in Liege, Belgium. He lives in Columbia, South Carolina.

Sean Congdon heads Colt Canada since March 2024. He is a versatile business leader who brings rich experience from the automotive industry. Sean worked at Ford Motor Company of Canada in various managerial positions in the machining department between 1993 -2004. He was the Group Vice President North America at Linamar Corporation where he worked between 2004 - 2023. His professional skills include business strategies, planning, technical skills in the area of product, process and quality systems. Sean is a graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton and holds MBA from the Queen’s University in Kingston.